


Before It's Too Late

by Sunny_Honey



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Jealousy, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Rejection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23607034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunny_Honey/pseuds/Sunny_Honey
Summary: Hinata confesses to Kageyama and unsurprisingly, he's rejected. However, as Hinata starts to heal his broken heart, Kageyama starts to develop feelings of his own. But is he too late? Did someone else take Kageyama's place in Hinata's heart?
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 30
Kudos: 322





	1. The Start of the King's Descent

**Author's Note:**

> Character's thoughts are in italics

Fifteen years of being alive could never have prepared Kageyama for the situation that he’s found himself in. It’s not like he hasn’t seen this happen before. In fact, he’s seen this happen many times to Oikawa during his first year of middle school. He’s even witnessed some happening from a distance after school. But he never imagined he’d be on the receiving end--much less with one of his teammates.

“Hello? Kageyama? Is anyone there?” asked Hinata, waving his hand in front of Kageyama’s face rapidly. He slapped the hand out of his face

“Get your hand out of my face dumbass!” he shouted.

“Why are you getting angry at me? You were the one spacing out!” Hinata grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. “So...are you going to say anything?”

“About what?” Kageyama asked even though he knew exactly what Hinata was referring to. This was just his way of coping with the fact that--

“Me having a crush on you.”

_Yeah. That._

“Oh….right...that”

“That’s all you have to say?” mumbled Hinata as he looked at the floor of the empty clubroom.

“What do you want me to say? You want me to lie to you and say that I feel the same?” answered Kageyama as he looked anywhere around the room besides the redhead standing in front of him. “Look dumbass, I don’t feel the same way about you. Sure, you’re a great teammate and an even better friend, but that’s it.” He was met with silence and decided to continue speaking.  
“I don’t see the point in relationships. I’ve seen it get in the way with volleyball and I don’t want anything to distract me. I’m sorry.”

For a second, it was quiet. In fact, it was too quiet for Kageyama’s liking. Hinata is usually bouncing off the walls with energy, talking loudly to anyone that will listen to him. But now he’s not making a sound. Despite his brain telling him not to, Kageyama looks at Hinata.

He instantly regrets it. Because instead of seeing the Hinata he’s used to seeing, he sees tears running down his face. And despite him saying he only sees Hinata as a teammate and a friend, there’s a pang in his heart as he watches Hinata wipe away his tears. He couldn’t help the soft gasp that left his mouth.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata looks up at Kageyama. “Okay.” is all that leaves Hinata’s mouth before he turns around to grab his things.

“Okay?” Kageyama’s confused. He was expecting him to say more. “That’s it?”

“Yeah. There’s nothing else I can do if you don’t feel the same. So I’ll just forget about it. It’ll go away eventually so there’s nothing to worry about. We can just act as if this conversation didn’t happen.” And before Kageyama could even respond, Hinata was out the door.

_This is good, right? Nothing has to change and everything will be fine. Right?_

* * *

Kageyama stared at the door of the clubroom for a moment after Hinata left trying to figure out why he was feeling weird about how the conversation ended. Deciding it was too troublesome to keep thinking about it, he grabbed his bag and went towards the door. As he made his way out of the clubroom, he couldn’t shake the weird feeling in his stomach. It’s not like he wanted to be in a relationship with anyone--he witnessed enough of Oikawa’s past relationships turn sour to know that he didn’t want that for himself. Plus, he’s not really a people person; he was called “King of the Court” by his own teammates for a reason. Why would anyone in their right mind want to start a romantic relationship with him?

Like the clubroom, Kageyama’s walk home was unsettlingly quiet. Until a small meow broke through the silence around him. He looked down and saw a cat sitting in the bushes. Kageyama felt as though the cat’s gaze was piercing through him; trying to make him feel bad about what just happened. Of course, that’s a ridiculous theory since it’s just a cat. He bent down in front of the cat and reached out to pet it when suddenly the cat hissed loudly and ran into the bushes. This startled him and he nearly toppled over onto the ground.

“What the hell!” yelled Kageyama. _Stupid cat_

Standing up, Kageyama continued walking home and desperately tried to think of something--anything--other than what just happened to him. But no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts would float right back to Hinata.

Volleyball. _Hinata_. School. _Hinata_. Friends. _Hinata_. That stupid cat. Somehow, _Hinata_.

He never noticed how much time he actually spent with the middle blocker. Which just made his current situation very annoying.

“This is so stupid!” he shouted, grabbing his head in frustration.

* * *

Once he was home, he made a beeline to his bed and threw himself face first onto it. As he laid there, he resigned himself to the fact that this isn’t going to be as easy as he initially thought it’d be. He didn’t think he’d be this bent out of shape over Hinata’s confession. In fact he shouldn’t be.

_Why do I feel like I was the one that got rejected?_

He was relieved when Hinata said he’ll forget about his crush and they could pretend it never happened. If anything, he thought Hinata would be the only one having a hard time. But here he is laying in bed with that ugly feeling still in his stomach. He heard his mom call him from the stairs asking if he wanted to eat dinner, but Kageyama didn’t answer nor did he move. He felt like he’d puke if he tried to eat anything. He heard his door open only for it to close softly seconds later. His mom had placed food on his desk for him--little did she know that tray of food would still be there in the morning.

He didn’t move. The image of Hinata crying flashed in his mind. He felt his stomach turn. Kageyama turned onto his back and stared at his ceiling.

“Dumbass.” he scoffed. “You didn’t look fine to me.” Before he knew it, he was falling asleep.

_I’ll be okay in the morning. I have to be. Hinata said it’ll be fine and not to worry about it._

So why was he feeling so unsettled by this. This was what he wanted. Wasn’t it?


	2. A Cloud Over The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into how Hinata's handling his rejection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character's thoughts are in italics

“Okay” 

Is the only thing that Hinata is able to utter without his voice wavering. That was the last thing he wanted to happen right now. He didn’t want to make Kageyama feel worse. He already knows Kageyama can see him crying. 

“Okay? That’s it?” Kageyama asks, confusion written all over his face

“Yeah. There’s nothing else I can do if you don’t feel the same. So I’ll just forget about it. It’ll go away eventually so there’s nothing to worry about. We can just act as if this conversation didn’t happen.” Without giving Kageyama a chance to say anything else, Hinata grabs his bag and rushes out the door. 

_ I’m okay. This is fine. I wasn’t expecting him to feel the same. It’s okay.  _

No matter how hard Hinata tries to convince himself that he’s okay, he knows deep down he’s not. This hurts. It hurts a lot more than he anticipated. He knew the moment they were alone in the clubroom that he’d leave with a rejection. He knew that. But he still confessed and he got the result he was expecting. But he didn’t think Kageyama’s rejection would hurt this much. This hurts almost as much as the loss against Aoba Johsai. 

* * *

The trek home wasn’t as peaceful as it normally is. In fact, Hinata had got off his bike and started walking halfway because he couldn’t see through the tears that refused to stop. When he finally made it home, he was greeted immediately by his mom who, as soon as she saw him, became worried and pulled him into a hug. Somehow, this hug did the opposite of what it was supposed to do and Hinata cried even harder. His mom moved them from the entryway to the couch where Hinata buried his face into her lap while he sobbed. It took him a good minute or so to finally stop crying. 

“Shoyo, what happened?” his mom was clearly shocked that her son came home and instantly started to cry. The last time she saw him this upset, it was after the interhigh-preliminaries when Karasuno lost. But even then, there were only a few tears of frustration and a lot of silence from her son. Now, it’s almost like he’s crying out in pain. Hinata doesn’t say a word and she takes this as a sign that he’s not ready to talk about this yet. “You don’t have to tell me right now. You can go eat some dinner, take a bath, or even go to your room and rest. I’ll be here to listen to you when you’re ready.” And with that, Hinata got up from the couch and headed straight to his room. 

Once Hinata made it to his room, he pulled out his phone and called the one person who knew he was going to do this today. When Kenma answered the phone, Hinata could hear the game he was playing in the background. 

“Hey Shoyo, how’d it--”

“Kenma!” Hinata wailed, barely giving Kenma a chance to say anything. “He rejected me.” And despite all the crying he did when he got home, Hinata can feel his eyes start to water again.

“Oh.” was all he got for a response. He could faintly hear the sounds of Kenma’s game stop. “Give me a second, I have to kick Kuroo out.” Through the phone, Hinata could hear mumbling and then a door opening and closing. “Sorry about that, he’s gone now. You wanna talk about it?” 

At first, Hinata didn’t want to talk about it. He kinda wanted something to distract him, but he also knew that if he didn’t talk about it, he wouldn’t be able to move on--something he had promised Kageyama he’d be able to do. 

“I don’t know why I did it. I mean, I  _ do  _ know why I did it, but I also knew that it was a bad idea. I knew that I’d be rejected, but I still did it anyway.” There was silence on the other line, so Hinata continued, “What if he hates me Kenma? What if he can’t forget about it and doesn’t want to toss to me anymore? Our whole dynamic will be ruined! And what if this starts to affect the whole team? I’d have to explain to everyone the reason why Kageyama and I aren’t performing well. The whole reason I get to be in the starting line up is because of our crazy quick and it might be taken away from me because I decided to tell Kageyama--”

Kenma interrupted Hinata’s babbling “I don’t think Kageyama is the type of person to act like that” Hinata thought about this for a bit. He wanted to say more, but Kenma beat him to it. “I don’t really know him that well--in fact I don’t really want to get to know him, he creeps me out--but I do know he values skilled players. Even if he is uncomfortable with it, he wouldn’t let your feelings get in the way of volleyball.” This was the most Hinata has ever heard from Kenma at once, and though he was surprised by that, he was more focused on what was said. 

It’s true that Kageyama values players who are skilled. “ _ But I’m not that skilled,”  _ thought Hinata.  _ “I’m just fast and can jump high.”  _ Is that really something that Kageyama sees as valuable? The more Hinata thought about it, the more he believed that Kageyama could easily find someone else on the team to pair up with. Their team has players with actual experience on a volleyball team while Hinata barely had one in middle school. 

“Shoyo, stop it. I can hear you overthinking all the way in Tokyo.” said Kenma, breaking Hinata’s train of thought.

“Wait, you can hear me?! Did I say that out loud?” Hinata heard a soft chuckle coming from Kenma.

“It’s a figure of speech Shoyo.”  _ Oh.  _

“Right...I knew that…” Hinata mumbled sheepishly. “I’m probably overthinking this but--”

“That’s a first. You know, you overthinking.” teased Kenma. Hinata’s face flushed with embarrassment. 

“Stop bullying me Kenma I just got my heart broken!” with that, Kenma laughed. Another first for Hinata; he’s never really heard Kenma’s laugh--the most he’s gotten out of him was a soft chuckle like earlier. 

“You know I’m just kidding Shoyo.” Kenma said once he stopped laughing. Hinata hummed in response; not really sure where to go with the rest of this conversation. “Do you want to keep talking about it or do you think you’re okay for now?” 

Hinata sighed, “I think I’ll be fine for now. I’m not sure what’s going to happen tomorrow morning. For the first time since I joined the volleyball team, I’m dreading morning practice. How am I supposed to act Kenma? I told Kageyama that I’d forget about my crush and that we could pretend it never happened, but what if I still act weird about it?” There was a long pause between the two before Kenma spoke.

“It’ll only be weird if you make it weird.” As usual, Hinata has to agree with Kenma. The only problem is it’s definitely going to be weird because Hinata always seems to make things weird. But, because he doesn’t want to waste anymore of Kenma’s time, he chose not to point that out. 

“You’re right Kenma. Knowing Kageyama, he probably isn’t worried about it and is thinking about our upcoming training camp. Speaking of which, I’m super excited to be going to Tokyo and playing against you again!” For a short moment, Hinata forgot all about his problems and ramble on about how excited he is for the Tokyo training camp. 

When his call with Kenma ended, however, he was left with this strange feeling. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry or puke. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it wasn’t either of those things. In fact, it wasn’t anything. He sort of just felt...numb. 

_ I’ll be fine in the morning. I have to be.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I'll try to update soon!


	3. The Effects of Rejection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit long, but I hope you like it!

Morning practice could not have been worse. Kageyama avoided being within two feet of Hinata and didn’t make an effort to hide it. Not that it mattered since Hinata practically stuck to Nishinoya and Tanaka the whole time. At first, everyone was confused; normally the gym is filled with the freak duo’s back and forth yelling. Suga wanted to ask if everything was okay, but Daichi and Asahi stopped him.

“It’s not like we haven’t seen them like this before. Remember when they first joined the team? They can work things out by themselves.” said Daichi, steering Suga away from the two first-years.

“Yeah but this time it’s different, I know it! The atmosphere feels…off.” Suga argued, turning his head towards the two. 

“If something did happen between them, isn’t it better that they’re giving each other space rather than going at each other's throats?” Asahi pointed out. On the other side of the gym, Kageyama was stretching in a corner by himself while Hinata was talking animatedly with Nishinoya and Tanaka in the other corner. Daichi hummed in agreement and though Suga knew this was better than the two fighting, he still wasn’t happy with the current dynamic going on. He decided he’ll try to talk to them once their morning practice is finished. 

The first half of morning practice wasn’t that bad--aside from Kageyama and Hinata avoiding each other like the plague. Then it came time for spiking practice. At first, Hinata tried to have Sugawara toss to him, but Ukai told him to have Kageyama toss to him since it made more sense for them to be paired together. So Hinata reluctantly went over to Kageyama to practice his spikes. And it was--in the words of Tanaka--”a shit show”. Most of the tosses either went too far or not far enough for Hinata to spike. And the times Hinata was able to hit the ball, it never landed the way he wanted it to; some of the balls he spiked didn’t even make it past the net. Everytime they failed, the whole team was expecting Kageyama to lose his temper and start yelling or for Hinata to grow frustrated and demand more tosses. Instead, the two would move on and go on with the exercise. To the surprise of the whole team, neither one of those things happened. Instead, Hinata would go to the back of the line and wait until he was up to spike again while Kageyama waited for the next spiker. 

By the end of practice, Hinata and Kageyama were _exhausted._ Not so much physically, but emotionally and mentally. For once, they were ready for practice to be over and get to class. No one really spoke while getting changed in the clubroom; even Tanaka and Nishinoya were quiet. They all felt the tense atmosphere around the freak duo. Nobody wanted to be the one to bring it up with either of them though. Except Suga. When he walked into the clubroom, he was prepared to try and talk to the two, but they didn’t even give him a chance--they were both out the door before he could blink.

* * *

“ _What the hell is wrong with me!”_

Kageyama couldn’t focus on what his teacher was talking about. Which wasn’t unusual for him, but he’s almost always asleep in class. This time, he’s fully awake, but still unfocused. 

“ _Morning practice sucked. Dumbass Hinata. He was the one who said we’d pretend like nothing happened, but then tries to have Sugawara-san toss to him instead of me. That’s him being weird about it!”_

Even though he thinks that, Kageyama knows Hinata’s not the only one acting weird. He can admit--to himself at least--that he was trying to put some distance between himself and Hinata. But that was for Hinata’s sake! Kageyama might not fully understand love or attraction, he does know that the feelings Hinata has for him aren’t going to disappear overnight. He was just trying to be considerate of Hinata’s feelings. At least that’s what Kageyama is telling himself. Deep down he knows it was to protect himself rather than Hinata. The weird feeling from last night had subsided, but would resurface whenever he looked at Hinata. 

Before he knew it, the lunch bell rang and his classmates were up and moving around. Kageyama took out his lunch and started eating. While he was eating, a thought occurred to him.

_“What am I going to do when I finish my lunch? Normally, Hinata and I would go and practice receives in the courtyard. Do I go to the courtyard and wait for Hinata? He might not even show up. He probably asked Suga-san to--”_

_“_ Kageyama!” came a loud yell from the back of Kageyama’s class. A couple of people--Kageyama included--were startled by the sudden noise. Kageyama turned around to see Hinata standing there motioning him to come out with him. Scarfing down the remainder of his lunch, Kageyama jumped from his desk and followed Hinata out. 

They made their way to their usual courtyard and at first Kageyama thought Hinata wanted to practice. This idea was shot down when he realized that neither one of them brought a ball. 

“ _So why did he bring me out here?”_ he thought to himself

Kageyama stood and watched as Hinata paced back and forth in front of him. That unsettling feeling started to surface as more silence passed between them. Kageyama opened his mouth to say something when Hinata beat him to it.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, choosing not to look Kageyama in the eyes.

“Huh?! What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with _you_!” Kageyama barked. The feeling in his stomach lessened as he began to feel irritated. “Did you drag me here just piss me off?”

Hinata sighed and stopped pacing. “I thought we agreed that we would pretend what happened yesterday _didn’t_ happen and everything would stay the same.” 

“We did.” Answered Kageyama in a quieter voice than earlier. 

Hinata looked up at Kageyama. “Well then why were you acting so weird during morning practice?”. That was something Kageyama didn’t have an answer to. Well, he does have the answer. Just not the one that he wants to give Hinata. 

_“I can’t tell him it’s because I feel...weird...about last night...Weird isn’t the right word... either way I can’t tell him it’s the reason why practice went horribly.”_ thought Kageyama. So instead of giving an excuse, he pointed a finger at Hinata

“You’re one to talk. Don’t act like I didn’t notice how you tried to have Suga-san toss to you instead of me.” he retorted. 

Hinata scoffed and also pointed a finger at Kageyama, jabbing it to his chest. “I only did that because I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” 

“That’s so stupid why would I be uncomfortable tossing to you? I do it all the time dumbass.” Kageyama said while feeling himself grow frustrated all over again. This conversation seemed to be going nowhere. 

“I’m not that stupid I know you always toss to me, but I just--” Hinata stopped himself. _“I can’t tell him it was because I was afraid of him refusing to toss to me and thinking I’m no longer useful.”_ For a minute, Hinata’s train of thought went down the tracks of mild self-hatred and doubt. 

“You just what?” asked Kageyama, trying to get this conversation to end so he can get rid of the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. 

“Nevermind. Clearly, neither one of us can forget what happened yesterday. But do you think it’s possible to go back to how things were between us before that?” Even though he asked with confidence in his voice, Hinata was afraid of the answer. _“God, I feel nervous for his answer. And sick. Wow. It’s almost like I’m confessing all over again.”_ he thought as he watched Kageyama think about what he said. After what felt like an eternity, Kageyama gave him an answer.

“I-” Kageyama paused for a second to take in a deep breath. “I’m not sure that I can…” Suddenly the air around the two boys felt frigid. Hinata felt a lump in his throat and tears threatening to spill. 

_“Now it really feels like I’m being rejected all over again.”_

“Okay. Not gonna lie, that kinda sucks to hear since I considered you to be my best friend.” That made Kageyama feel like he was punched in the stomach. “Still, I can’t control how you feel about the situation. The only thing I do have some say in is how we act around each other during practice. This already has been affecting our performance and I don’t want to be benched by Coach Ukai.” The idea of being benched made both boys shudder in fear. 

“I agree.” Kageyama definitely didn’t want to be benched if he could help it. 

“Then we’re on the same page. We get along during practice. Other than that, we don’t have to hang out or talk to each other.” Before Kageyama could argue and say he didn’t like the idea of them not talking to each other, the redhead was already heading inside. 

Kageyama felt a foreign emotion bubbling inside of him. Suddenly, he felt a few tears run down his face. Shocked and disgusted with himself, Kageyama furiously wiped at his face in an attempt to stop crying. He could vaguely hear the bell signalling the end of lunch, but he didn’t move. He didn’t feel like being in class; he didn’t want people to see him like this--vulnerable. Instead, he found a tree nearby and sat where no one could see him. In an attempt to calm himself down, he looked up to the sky and tried to focus on the clouds drifting by. But just like the night before, his thoughts kept drifting to what happened with Hinata and Kageyama felt himself tear up again. Slapping his hands to his eyes, he let out a frustrated groan and whispered to himself

“Did I just lose my best friend?”

* * *

Afternoon practice had the same atmosphere as morning practice. The only difference was Kageyama trying to talk to Hinata. Everyone watched as the setter trailed after Hinata whenever there was an opening only to be completely ignored. The only time Hinata acknowledged Kageyama was when the team was doing a practice game and the two did their quick. Other than that, Hinata gave Kageyama the cold shoulder. While Daichi and Asahi were trying to keep Suga from getting involved, he couldn’t help it. There was something going on and it was affecting how they play. When practice ended, Suga managed to stop Hinata and Kageyama outside.

“Hey, do you two have a minute to talk?” asked Suga as he caught up with the duo leaving school. Kageyama turned around and was about to agree when Hinata interrupted him.

“I’m sorry Suga-san! My mom asked me to come home right after practice!” Before Suga could protest and say it’ll only take a couple of minutes, Hinata bolted away from the two setters. Suga sighed and looked over at Kageyama and asked

“Are you two okay?” Kageyama visibly paled and nodded; though Suga knew it was a lie. He wanted to pry more, but Daichi and Asahi called for him. Taking this as an opportunity to run away, Kageyama turned on his heels and quickly made his way out. Suga groaned in frustration and glared at his two friends walking towards him. 

“I already told you, they’ll work things out.” For some reason, Suga had a hard time believing Daichi. There was a nagging voice in his head telling him that these two aren’t going to be getting along very soon.

* * *

Once Hinata had gotten to the front of Ukai’s store, he stopped to rest. He knew there was a chance that Suga would come by the store, but Hinata figured he’d already be gone by then. 

_“I can’t believe this is all happening because I told Kageyama I like him.”_ thought Hinata. Emotionally, Hinata felt okay--well, as okay as he could be in his circumstances. It’s only when he sees Kageyama that he starts to feel anxious. It’s not merely because he was rejected by him less than 24 hours ago, though it is half the cause of his anxiety. The other half is the way Kageyama is acting around him. When he confronted Kageyama about it during lunch, he didn’t deny acting weird, he just deflected the blame from himself. And the finishing blow to Hinata’s emotional rollercoaster was when Kageyama admitted he doesn’t think they’ll be able to go back to how they were before. Which just meant Hinata lost his best friend. Hinata’s hands started trembling at the memory. He balled his hands into fists and bit his lip to stop himself from crying. 

_“I’m not going to cry. I’ve done too much of that already.”_ As he was calming himself down he heard rustling in the bushes next to him. Looking down, Hinata found a pair of green eyes looking at him curiously. Tail swishing behind it, the cat stood and made its way towards Hinata’s legs. The redhead froze in surprise as the cat purred and brushed its head against his legs, begging to be pet. 

“Oh my gosh! You’re so cute!” Hinata cooed as he bent down and placed his hand on the cat’s back. The cat arched its back and purred louder as Hinata stroked it. “Where’s your owner?” asked Hinata knowing fully that the cat won’t answer. In response, the cat turned onto its back and pawed at Hinata’s hands--an invitation to give belly rubs. Hinata happily complied and looked at the cat’s neck for a collar. Seeing nothing, Hinata assumed this was a stray cat. After a couple minutes of belly rubs, Hinata decided it was time to go home.

“Alright, I have to go home now!” he announced while standing up from the spot he had been squatting in. “You be safe!” As he was leaving, the cat let out a loud meow. Hinata turned around and saw the cat, now sitting up, staring at Hinata with wide eyes. He waved at the cat and turned back around. Not even a minute later, he felt something by his legs. He glanced at his feet and saw the cat standing next to him looking at him again with those wide eyes. It took Hinata a moment to understand what the cat was trying to tell him. 

“Oh! I think I get it now. Do you want to come home with me?” he asked. Almost immediately, the cat answered back with the same loud meow from earlier. “I’ll take that as a yes!” he cheered, bending down to pick up the cat and place it into the basket of his bike. The cat turned around in the basket and purred happily at Hinata. The ride back home didn’t feel as lonely with his new companion sitting in his basket. When he arrived home, his mom was in the yard watching Natsu play. Discarding her toys, Natsu ran over to her older brother, pulling on his arm to get him to play with her. Laughing at her rambling, Hinata went to park his bike when he heard his mom ask, 

“Shoyo, what’s that in your basket?”. Oh shit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it! The next few chapters are going to be during the Tokyo training camp with Nekoma and Fukurodani~


	4. Some Sisterly Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata finally opens up to someone other than Kenma about his worries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First part of the Tokyo training camp arc~

It’s been a week since Hinata confessed to Kageyama and things are still tense between the two. Not only was this causing problems with their playing style, it was also affecting the whole dynamic of the team. Coach Ukai had given them an earful on teamwork and team dynamics after a particularly awful morning practice. Suga made several attempts to talk to them after practice, but he was never successful--the two were never in the same place for long and when he tried to talk to them individually, both boys denied there being a problem between them. There wasn’t much the team could do if Hinata and Kageyama weren’t willing to admit there was something going on between them. 

The only thing getting the team out of this weird funk they’ve been having is the upcoming training camp in Tokyo. One problem with this upcoming trip--exams were right before the training camp and those who don’t pass will have to complete a makeup exam which takes place on the first day of the training camp. Unfortunately for the team, their highly skilled players also happen to be their highly idiotic students; the first-year duo included. The rest of the team made an effort to make sure these idiots passed in order to attend the training camp. By some miracle, Nishinoya and Tanaka passed their exams--albeit barely. Hinata and Kageyama weren’t as fortunate as their upperclassmen. While the two first-years tried to figure out how they were going to make it to the training camp, Tanaka offered a solution. 

“My sister can drive you two once you’re done with the makeup exam. Though your safety or comfort is not guaranteed.” 

* * *

Desperate to get to Tokyo, the two rushed through their make-up exams. Once they were released, they made their way outside and saw Tanaka’s sister leaning against her car.

“Hey, failure boys! Get it.” Once the three made themselves comfortable in the car, Saeko said “I’ll get you two to Tokyo quickly so don’t worry!” And with that, she stepped on the gas and sped out onto the street causing Hinata and Kageyama to almost fly out of their seats. 

After a while, they slowed down since they hit some steady traffic. Saeko was humming to herself, Kageyama was fast asleep in the back, and Hinata looked out the window lost in thought. His phone buzzed in his lap and he saw it was a text from Kenma.

**[Kenma]: Taking a 5 minute break rn. Are you on your way to Tokyo?**

**[Hinata]: We’re almost there! I’m really excited to hangout with you! I’ve been a bit lonely since Kageyama and I stopped being friends.**

**[Kenma]: I know it sucks, but I’m sure you two will make up soon**

**[Hinata]: I doubt it. He was the one who said he couldn’t go back to how we used to be**

**[Kenma]: I gtg, but I’ll be with you during this training camp so it’ll be easier to avoid Kageyama. See you soon Shoyo.**

**[Hinata]: See ya!**

Hinata put his phone back in his lap and sighed. Although he’d have Kenma with him, it doesn’t change the fact that he hasn’t talked to Kageyama outside of practice in over a week. 

“Wow, that was one heck of a sigh kid. Something on your mind?” asked Saeko, glancing at Hinata for a moment. “You wanna talk about it?” Hinata hesitates. While it’d be nice to talk to someone who doesn’t really know them, Kageyama is right behind him. He turns around and sees Kageyama’s practically knocked out and decides it’s safe for him to talk to Saeko--at least that’s what it seemed like. As soon as Hinata turns around, Kageyama cracks open his eyes and looks at Hinata from where he’s laying. 

“About a week ago I told Kageyama that I like him. And it didn’t end well.” Kageyama knew he shouldn’t be listening to this, but what else was he supposed to do? He can’t exactly make himself go to sleep again now that his interest has been piqued. And he definitely can’t physically leave since they’re in a car. 

Saeko hummed in understanding. “I’m sorry to hear about that kid. Is he giving you a hard time? You want me to give him a hard time? Cause I can.” Behind the two, Kageyama tensed. He  _ did not _ want to get on Saeko’s bad side. 

“No it’s okay! He’s not giving me a hard time because of my crush… But we’re not exactly on speaking terms anymore.” Hinata had to stop there to pull himself together. He just hates thinking about how he lost his best friend. 

“Well if he’s not giving you a hard time because of your crush, then why aren’t you two on speaking terms?” She had a feeling this was a sore spot with Hinata, but it seemed like he hasn’t talked to anyone about this and needs to get this off his chest. 

Hinata sighed again before speaking. “I told him I’d forget about this crush and we could pretend this whole thing never happened, but the next day at practice, we weren’t in sync at all! When I asked if he thinks we can get back to how we were before, he said no.” he heard Saeko click her tongue before continuing. “Part of me thinks he’s disgusted by me and that he doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore.”

Kageyama flinches “ _ That’s not true! I’m not disgusted by you!”  _ It took most of his willpower to not jump up from his seat and scream his thoughts at Hinata.  _ “There’s no way I could be disgusted by you! This is all me being irritated at myself not you!”  _ Kageyama desperately wanted to tell Hinata this, but this wasn’t the time or place for that. Plus, he was sure he’d mess up and say something else that might hurt Hinata. 

“I doubt he thinks that. A guy like him has a one track mind and the only thing on his mind is volleyball. He’s probably just unsure of how to handle this.” replied Saeko, breaking Kageyama out of his thoughts. 

“Maybe… Another part of me feels guilty for even telling him since it’s causing problems not only between the two of us, but with the whole team dynamic. I kinda wish I never said anything to him. If I didn’t, we wouldn’t be messing up as much.” By this point, Kageyama had heard enough and was about to tell Hinata he’s wrong when Saeko responded

“Look kid, I’ve been in a similar situation and feeling guilty isn’t going to make things better. You might feel bad about how things have changed between you guys, but if Kageyama can’t go back to how things were before this, that’s on him. There’s nothing you can do besides respect the boundaries he’s setting up and adjust to this new relationship you guys have.” She paused and glanced at Hinata with a sympathetic look. “It sucks, I know. Give it time, he doesn’t hate you so there’s still a chance at friendship there.” 

Hinata thought about what Saeko just told him and nodded his head softly. “I guess you’re right.” 

“One more thing,” Saeko added. “This situation might be rough right now, but it might lead you to someone you’re meant to be with. So don’t give up on the possibility of love just because this crush of yours resulted in rejection.” That wasn’t something Hinata had even considered--the possibility of liking someone other than Kageyama. Meanwhile, in the back of the car, Kageyama’s stomach did a little flip at what Saeko said.

_ “Hinata with someone else?”  _ For some reason, this idea didn’t sit well with him. Noticing that it had been silent for a while, Kageyama decided now was the best time to “wake up” and end this conversation. Making sure to be noisy to let them know he was awake, Kageyama rummaged loudly through his bag for a snack. Hinata had turned at the sudden noise coming from behind him.

“How long have you been awake?!” he screeched, afraid Kageyama had heard the whole conversation he had with Saeko.

“Just now. I got hungry.” replied Kageyama, taking a huge bite of his riceball. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief after learning Kageyama hadn’t heard anything. He leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes in an attempt to calm down. The rest of the car ride was quiet and uneventful since both boys were busy thinking about the advice Saeko gave. 

  
  
  



	5. Is That Jealousy I see?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata spends some time with Kenma after practice and Kageyama gets irritated

It seems like whatever was troubling Hinata and Kageyama was left in Miyagi--at least when they’re on the court. Their dynamic is still messy, but they’re able to do their quick and score some points during the practice matches. Once they’re released from official practice, Hinata immediately glues himself to Kenma’s side and begs him to give him tosses; leaving Kageyama to practice with Ennoshita instead. 

It took a bit of convincing, but Kenma managed to get Hinata to call it a night at a reasonable time. After showering, the two made their way to the room where Nekoma was staying since Hinata wanted to stay away from Kageyama for a little bit longer--his conversation with Saeko made him think about how he and Kageyama were acting. She was right, there’s nothing he can do if Kageyama doesn’t want to be his friend anymore. He just needs to accept that and keep his distance. 

When the two entered the room, there weren’t many Nekoma players there. Kenma made his way over to his spot and Hinata awkwardly trailed after him. He didn’t really know many Nekoma players aside from Kenma and--

“Hinata!” shouted Inuoka as he bounced over to where the two were sitting. 

“Inuoka!” Hinata replied, getting up and matching Inuoka’s excited energy. The two began making nonsensical noises at each other out of excitement. Kenma sighed and tuned the two first-years out as he pulled out his game. 

“I’m so glad you’re here! When Karasuno arrived and you weren’t with them, I assumed you wouldn’t show up at all.” Inuoka said once they got the sound effects out of their systems. 

“Yeah, me too. I marked my answer sheet incorrectly and by the time I noticed, it was time to turn in the exam. Yachi-san was really bothered by it since my answers were correct, but my teacher is very strict about that kind of stuff. So I ended up having to do a makeup exam earlier today.” explained Hinata. Inuoka wore a sympathetic expression on his face.

“Ah, I totally get that. The same thing happened to me once. Thankfully I noticed it halfway through the exam and was able to change it.” Hinata sighed, wishing he paid more attention to things when taking exams. Speaking of paying attention to things… 

“Hey Inuoka, I noticed you were on the bench and this new guy was on the court instead. I didn’t see him when you guys came during Golden Week. Did he just join?” Without pulling his gaze from his game, Kenma answered.

“That’s Lev--he’s half Japanese half Russian. He started playing volleyball in high school. You didn’t see him during the practice match because we only took the regulars and he was still trying to learn the basics.” Kenma looked up from his game and scowled. “Even now he’s still trying to learn the basics. He’s mostly going off instinct...and height. He’s even worse than you Shoyo.” Hinata gasped.

“I’m your standard for crappy skills?!” he squawked, Kenma ignored his cries while Inuoka doubled over laughing. After a moment, Inuoka spoke up.

“By the way Hinata, correct me if I’m wrong, but is there something going on with you and Kageyama?” Hinata flinched. 

_“Is it really that obvious that players from other teams noticed?_ He thought. Taking in a deep breath, Hinata started telling Inuoka everything that has happened to him this past week.

* * *

“Whoa,” Inuoka mumbled, “that must suck.” The bluntness of Inuoka’s response made Kenma smack him with a pillow. “Ow! I didn’t mean to sound rude or anything, but dang. I can’t even imagine how you feel.” Kenma grabs the pillow again while giving Inuoka a threatening glare. Out of fear of being hit again, Inuoka motioned that his lips were sealed. 

“You’re not wrong; it does suck. But I can’t do much about it now. It happened and I just have to accept that this is how things are going to be between us now.” Kenma gave Hinata a sympathetic pat on the back. But since he’s not really good at comforting people, it felt a bit forced to Hinata. It reminded him of a friend from middle school petting a dog even though he was afraid of them. 

“Oh yeah!” shouted Hinata, startling the two Nekoma players. “I got a cat!” Hinata could practically see Kenma’s eyes get bigger at the mention of his new cat.

“Do you have pictures?” Kenma asked almost immediately.

* * *

_“It might lead you to someone you’re meant to be with…”_

For some reason, Kageyama couldn’t get what Saeko said out of his head. In the rare moments where volleyball wasn’t occupying his thoughts, her words would pop into his mind--almost like it was taunting him. 

_“That couldn’t happen…could it? Hinata is pretty friendly with everyone on our team…”_ Kageyama thought as he made his way towards Karasuno’s room. Just as he was about to round the corner, the door to the Nekoma room opened. He thought it’d be a Nekoma player, but instead he saw Hinata and Kenma. Without even thinking, Kageyama hid behind the wall.

 _“Why am I even hiding?”_ he asked himself, even though he knew the answer. While he’s able to act somewhat normal around Hinata during practice, outside of practice is another story. He doesn’t know how to act since Hinata said they’re no longer friends. From his hiding spot, he could hear Hinata ramble enthusiastically to Kenma. Sighing, he decided he was being stupid for avoiding Hinata and moved away from his hiding spot. When he turned the corner, he immediately made eye contact with Kenma. Kageyama swore he saw a glimmer in Kenma’s eyes as he leaned forward and whispered something in Hinata’s ear. For some reason seeing that pissed Kageyama off, but what really got his blood boiling was the fact that Hinata’s face became as red as his hair at whatever Kenma whispered to him. 

“K-Kenma?!” Hinata screeched, his hands moving to cover his face. Kenma chuckled and gave Hinata a pat on the head.

“You better get going before your team gets worried” and with that, Kageyama watched a flustered Hinata make his way down the hall. Kageyama turned to Kenma and noticed the setter was once again looking directly at him. Instead of saying something, Kenma simply smirked at Kageyama and turned to go back into the room. Kageyama could feel the irritation growing inside of him, but he wasn’t sure why. When he entered the room where his team was staying, Hinata was already at his futon, face still mildly red. Huffing in irritation, Kageyama stomped over to his futon. 

Of course, this didn’t go unnoticed. “Everything alright Kageyama?” asked Suga

“Just peachy.” he replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not exactly happy with this chapter, but I wanted to upload before I got overloaded with school work. The semester is almost over and I'm scrambling to do tests and projects.


	6. Guidance From a Surprising Source

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama receives advice from Oikawa and learns something new about himself

It seems like the Karasuno volleyball team can’t catch a break. After mini training camp, Hinata and Kageyama both seemed on edge. Especially after their freak quick was stopped and Hinata told Kageyama he wanted to change their quick. Add that to their already rocky relationship and it results in a fight. Like a physical fight. Thankfully, not a lot of damage happened to either boys--minus the punch to the face they received from Tanaka while pulling them apart. Had Yachi not been there, the team imagined the fight could have ended a lot worse. They all thought this was about Hinata wanting to change how they did their quick, but there was more to it--at least on Kageyama’s end. While Hinata trained with Coach Ukai’s grandfather, Kageyama went to seek advice from his former upperclassman--Oikawa Tōru.

“Oikawa-san, I need some...help…” Kageyama reluctantly said when he spotted Oikawa outside a public gym. 

“Bleh! There’s no way I’m helping you with volleyball stupid face!” Oikawa taunted.

“Oikawa-san, I--” 

“I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you!” Oikawa sang mockingly. His taunts, however, were cut short once Kageyama bowed in front of him.

“Please hear me out!” he begged. This really surprised Oikawa. In the time he’s known Kageyama, he never expected him to beg for help. 

“My, my what do we have here,” he sneered, wanting to milk this moment for as long as he could. “Who knew the king could beg.” Kageyama flinched at the old nickname, but didn’t move from his bow. Wanting to remember this moment, Oikawa snapped a picture of Kageyama. 

“This is why my mom says you’re a brat.” said a voice Kageyama didn’t recognize. He looked up and finally noticed a young boy standing behind Oikawa.

“Takeru, did Nee-san really call me a brat?!” screeched Oikawa. Ignoring him, Takeru started complaining about wanting to go home. 

“Wait! I really need your advice Oikawa-san! It’s important.” At first, Kageyama thought Oikawa was going to turn and leave without a second thought. But he turned to Kageyama and sighed.

“Okay, I’ll listen to what you have to say. I can’t guarantee I’ll actually help you, but I’ll listen. First, I have to get my nephew home. Follow us and once he’s home we can talk.”

* * *

The walk from the gym to Takeru’s house wasn’t that long. After a short talk between Oikawa and his sister, the pair were off to a nearby park. During that short walk, Kageyama thought about his fight with Hinata. He didn’t mean to blow up the way he did, but something Hinata said had set him off. 

_\--Flashback to their fight--_

_“Kageyama, you know this is our best option! We need to make changes to our quick!” Hinata urged once more after returning to Karasuno._

_“There’s nothing wrong with it! All you need to do is hit my tosses. Do you not trust me to send you tosses that will score?” Kageyama shouted._

_Hinata huffed in annoyance. “That’s not the problem! Your tosses are perfect! But they still managed to stop us--stop me! I need to be able to get better if we want to have a better chance at winning.”_

_“You don’t need to do that.”_

_“Yes I do! Kenma said if I worked on improving my own skills, we’d be unstoppable!” At the mention of Nekoma’s setter, Kageyama's face contorted into a scowl._

_“Who cares what he thinks? He’s not on this team.”_

_“I care what he thinks and I--”_

_“Well I don’t!” Kageyama hissed, forcefully throwing Hinata off him. Before he could walk away, Hinata threw himself at Kageyama and the two started throwing each other around._

_\--End flashback--_

“Oi Tobio, we’re here.” Oikawa said, breaking Kageyama out of his thoughts. “So, what is it that you need help with that you couldn’t go to one of your upperclassmen for? If this is about serving or setting, couldn’t you have gone to your team’s captain or vice captain?” 

Suddenly, Kageyama didn’t know how to start this conversation. “This isn’t volleyball related…” he mumbled. Another surprise for Oikawa. 

“Wow, didn’t think your brain was big enough for more than just volleyball.” he teased, earning a glare from Kageyama. “Well, couldn’t you have still gone to one of your upperclassmen? I’m pretty sure Mr. Refreshing would be more than willing to help any of his underclassmen.” Kageyama hesitated on giving Oikawa the answer to that question. While he knew Oikawa would never let him live this down, he knew he had to be honest if he wanted to get actual help from him. 

“Hinata confessed to me about a week ago.” The third surprise of the day for Oikawa. He’s starting to wonder if this is the same Tobio he knew from middle school. 

“Didn’t know Shrimpy had it in him. Though I have to say, he has poor taste in boys.” Once again, Oikawa received a sharp glare from Kageyama. 

“Ever since then, we haven’t been the same. At first, he said he’d eventually forget about it and we agreed to act like it never happened, but then I couldn’t do that and suddenly I lost my best friend. And I don’t know what to do anymore.” Staring at the ground, Kageyama could feel tears of frustration surfacing, but willed them to go away. The last thing he wanted was to give Oikawa something else to tease him about. 

“I don’t know what you’re expecting me to say, but I’m pretty sure it’s not this--there’s nothing you can do.” 

“But--”

“But _nothing_. It seems to me like Shrimpy is doing what’s best for him and you’re just gonna have to deal with it. I can guarantee this is a lot harder for him than it is for you.” Kageyama mumbled incoherently--mostly to himself. 

The two sat silently while Kageyama gathered his thoughts about what Oikawa said. It’s not like he assumed Hinata was fine with how their relationship has turned out. But to him, Hinata seems like his usual self--minus bothering him on a daily basis. It seems like he was the only one bothered by this whole ordeal and he hated it. He hates how he isn’t able to talk to Hinata outside of volleyball anymore. He hates that he can’t walk home with Hinata anymore. He hates that he’s being shut out by Hinata like he was with his team in middle school. 

“Tobio, I can see your thoughts spiraling.” Kageyama jumped. He had forgotten Oikawa was with him. “Look, I know how you’re feeling. Iwa-chan and I have had our fair share of rough patches during our friendship.”

“I’m sure you two have, but my problem is more than a rough patch with my best friend. I’m pretty sure we’re no longer friends at all.” 

“The same thing happened with me and Iwa-chan.” 

“Oh really, so one of you confessed to the other and it didn’t end well?” Kageyama said sarcastically. 

“Exactly. Just like you and Shrimpy.”

“Wait, really?”

“Man you really are dense. You never noticed the way I looked at Iwa-chan during practice in middle school? Or how I’d be very clingy with only him?” the first-year shook his head. He honestly thought that was how Oikawa was with his childhood friend. Oikawa snorted.“I guess in some way you’re just like Iwa-chan. When I told him during our first-year of high school, he was shocked. At least you and Shrimpy tried to act normal about it. Iwa-chan ignored me for almost two weeks before finally rejecting me--though I knew he would based on his initial reaction.” 

“So how did you guys stay friends after that?” asked Kageyama. He still couldn’t believe something similar happened to those two. The way they act around each other now would never lead Kageyama to believe anything had changed between them.

Oikawa sighed wistfully. “We didn’t. After he rejected me, I did the same thing Shrimpy did and put some distance between us by cutting him off as a friend. My feelings for him weren’t going to go away fast and it would have been worse if I had to be around him and act like I wasn’t in love with him. Plus, Iwa-chan’s pretty popular--a lot of girls flock around him and flirt with him. It was hard to act like nothing was wrong when I was jealous of every girl that approached him.”

“What changed for you guys? Something happened for you two to be friends again.” 

“Nothing happened. That’s why we’re able to be friends again. We didn’t talk outside of school or volleyball for almost three months. During that time, I was able to come to terms with being rejected and I slowly started to let Iwa-chan back into my life.” 

“You’re saying after some time, Hinata will stop liking me and we could become friends again?” Once again, Oikawa sighed. 

“Sure, it’s possible you guys could become friends again after a while, but it doesn’t mean he’ll stop liking you.” 

Not satisfied with his answer, Kageyama kept going. “But you said--”

“ _I said_ I was able to come to term with being rejected. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t in love with him anymore.”

“When did you stop being in love with him?” There was a long pause before Oikawa looked up at him with a painful expression.

“I never did.”

* * *

After his talk with Oikawa, Kageyama was even more confused. Besides learning about Oikawa’s unrequited feelings for Iwaizumi, Kageyama still was unsure how to handle the changes between him and Hinata. Sure, he understands now why Hinata did what Oikawa did and cut him out. Kageyama didn’t realize how selfish he was being by expecting Hinata to immediately forget about his feelings--or how hard this was for him. 

There was one thing he forgot to mention to Oikawa--his irritation towards Kenma. Kageyama wasn’t too sure why he felt so annoyed when he saw Kenma standing a little too close to the fiery redhead. Or why he was so bothered when Hinata mentioned Kenma during their fight. Then something Oikawa said earlier made him realize why he felt the way he did.

_“It was hard to act like nothing was wrong when I was jealous of every girl that approached him.”_

“Am I...jealous?”


	7. From Setter to Setter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga finally learns what's been going on between the dynamic duo

Two weeks have passed since Kageyama asked Oikawa for advice. Within those two weeks, all Kageyama has put together is that he’s been feeling jealous at the fact that Hinata and Nekoma’s setter are super close. Maybe it’s just him being clueless, but Kageyama hadn’t figured out why he’s jealous of Kenma. The closest idea he’s had is that he’s jealous because Kenma is replacing him as Hinata’s best friend. It has to be that--right? Kageyama felt torn because on one hand, he respected and admired Kenma as a player. He’s extremely skilled as a setter and is quick to react during a match. But on the other hand, whenever he’s around, he has all of Hinata’s attention--off court at least. Not that Kageyama was getting any of Hinata’s attention recently, but it still bothered him that Kenma was the one getting it. 

Because of Karasuno’s presence at the Nekoma training camp, they were also invited to Fukurodani’s summer training camp. While Kageyama was excited at the idea of being able to play against more teams, he kind of dreaded going only because he knew Nekoma was going to be there. And when there’s Nekoma, there’s Kenma. As predicted, Hinata spent practically every second off court with Kenma. Anytime Kageyama noticed them together, that feeling of jealousy would swirl in his stomach. He had been okay at controlling his emotions, but one afternoon something happened that made it almost impossible for Kageyama to remain calm.

* * *

It started off as any normal day at training camp; they’d warm-up and practice with their own team before starting practice matches with the other teams. Halfway through the day, the coaches called for everyone to take a 30 minute break. During this break, the team managers passed out watermelons to the players. Kageyama sat himself against a wall outside facing some grassy hills. In his peripheral vision, Kageyama could see Hinata sitting with Lev. At first he was relieved to see Kenma wasn’t there, but not even two seconds later Kenma’s walking over to Hinata with two watermelons in his hand. Hinata scarfed down his watermelon and swiped the extra one in Kenma’s hands--barely giving him a chance to offer it to him. Just as he’s about to sit down, Kenma turns and notices Kageyama staring directly at him. 

_ “This might be petty, but I’m gonna mess with Kageyama for a bit. Just because he made Shoyo upset.”  _ Kenma thought as he changed where he was going to sit. Instead of leaving some space in between himself and Hinata, Kenma plopped himself right next to Hinata--making a point to bump shoulders with him to make it obvious they were sitting really close to each other. Since Hinata enjoys skinship, this didn’t bother him at all. Plus he was preoccupied watching Lev spit watermelon seeds. It did, however, bother Kageyama. Kageyama was so focused on Kenma that he almost didn’t see Yachi walk over to him. 

“Um, Kageyama?” asked Yachi cautiously. He looked up at her and noticed her pointing at his hands. “Your watermelon is crushed.” He finally looked and saw his watermelon was in fact crushed in between his hands. 

“Oh.” Was the only thing he could think of saying. Yachi offered him another one before leaving, but he declined and looked back to where Hinata was sitting. 

While Hinata was unaware of Kageyama’s melon mishap, Kenma saw it and knew it was because of him. Thinking back to the previous training camp, he knew it’d piss Kageyama off if he made Hinata’s face flush. So that’s exactly what he’s going to do. 

Kageyama watched as Kenma leaned in close and whispered something in Hinata’s ear. Like before, Hinata’s face went completely red and Kageyama could hear Hinata’s nonsensical screeching. That familiar ugly feeling crept up on Kageyama and made him feel like he was going to explode. Before he could do that in front of all these people, he bolted up from his spot and practically sprinted into an area filled with trees. 

This action didn’t go completely unnoticed. Suga saw this as a chance to finally get some information from Kageyama--or at least comfort his fuming underclassman. When he found Kageyama, he saw him kicking the roots of a tree and grumbling quietly. Suga carefully approached the younger setter. He didn’t want to be a target of an angry outburst, but he also didn’t want to startle him. 

“Hey Kageyama,” Suga started. Kageyama jumped slightly and slowly met Suga’s gaze. “I saw you storm off and followed to make sure you’re okay. So, is everything alright?” 

Kageyama hesitated. He didn’t want to worry Suga with his problem. He already bothered Oikawa a while ago about it. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense to tell Suga everything. He knew both of them personally and cared enough about them to ask several times if the two were okay. If anything, Suga was the best person to talk to. 

“It’s a long story,” he sighed. Suga nodded and sat on the ground. He patted the spot next to him and Kageyama listened and sat down with him. He proceeded to tell Suga everything that’s been happening the past few weeks. When he finally finished, it was silent for a moment. Kageyama waited for Suga to say something. After what felt like hours, Suga spoke.

“There’s a lot I want to say, but we’ll get to that at a later time. Right now, I wanna ask you something.” Kageyama nodded, bracing himself for what he’d ask. “Why do you think you’re jealous of Kenma? Because it seems like you’ve worked out that you feel jealous, but have you considered why you’re feeling this way?” 

“Because he’s replacing me as Hinata’s best friend.” While this seemed like a valid reason, Suga wasn’t convinced and he had a feeling Kageyama wasn’t convinced either. He sounded unsure when he gave his reason.

“I don’t think that’s the only reason. It seems to me like what Tanaka’s sister said in the car to Hinata is getting to you.” Kageyama gave Suga a puzzled look. 

“I don’t understand.” Suga sighed. He wasn’t sure how to make Kageyama understand without having to explicitly say it to him. He’s about 99.9% sure Kageyama is jealous because he has some feelings towards Hinata but just hasn’t realized it yet. But he doesn’t want to be the one to tell Kageyama; he wants him to figure it out.

“You did say it didn’t sit right with you after Saeko-nee-san mentioned Hinata should be open to the possibility of finding someone else. Do you think there’s a reason for that?” Kageyama still looked confused, but Suga stayed silent and watched as he slowly started to realize

“Oh. I might like Hinata.” Bingo. 

“This works out for you doesn’t it? Hinata already confessed to you, so it’s obvious he likes you. I think you should tell him about your feelings.” Suga tried to continue encouraging Kageyama, but paused when he saw the sour look on Kageyama’s face. 

“It’s not going to work out. Not anymore at least. I already turned him down and we’re not exactly on friendly terms right now. Besides, I’m pretty sure he followed Saeko-nee-san’s advice. Whenever we’re around Nekoma, he’s practically glued to Kenma’s side.” He’s not entirely wrong. Suga had noticed Hinata wandering over to Nekoma’s setter when official practice was over. But that doesn’t mean he’s already gotten over Kageyama and has moved on. 

“I’m pretty sure those two are friends. Hinata’s probably just trying to make things easier between the two of you by keeping his distance. Plus, you guys had that fight right after we came back from Nekoma’s training camp. He’s probably still upset about that too.” The more Kageyama thought about it, the more it made sense. But he still didn’t think it was a good idea to tell Hinata what he'd just realized. It might make things even worse between them. 

There was more Suga wanted to say to try improving Kageyama’s mood, but they were interrupted before he could. Yachi came running over telling them their break was over and that it was time to head back into the gym for another round of practice matches. Suga watched as Kageyama stood and made his way over to the gym and whispered to himself

“These two are really hopeless, huh.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this chapter up earlier but I finished school recently and I've been catching up on playing animal crossing. Plus it was my birthday Tuesday (5/26) so I lazed around at home all day playing animal crossing and eating lol. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and hopefully the next one will be up soon.
> 
> a hint: It's going to involve Tsukishima


	8. The Sun and Moon Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Tsukishima have a heart-to-heart moment

To Hinata, this training camp has been great. He’s getting better at using the tempos Coach Ukai’s grandfather taught him and there has been less tension between him and Kageyama--at least in his opinion. Though it could also be because he’s been choosing to avoid spending extra time with Kageyama. Instead of having extra practice with him in the evenings, Hinata has been forcing Kenma to toss to him. 

Tonight is an exception. Kenma is not budging and refuses to stay any longer; all he wants to do is curl up on his bed and play video games. In an attempt to direct Hinata’s attention away from him, Kenma brings up how Kuroo has convinced Tsukishima to practice with him, Bokuto, and Akaashi in the 3rd gym. Hearing that, Hinata forgets trying to get Kenma to toss and immediately runs to find the 3rd gym. Kenma breathes a sigh of relief; he loves hanging out with Hinata, but he doesn’t want to toss anymore today. He does feel bad, however, because Lev overhead them and ditched Yaku so he could join along with Hinata.

* * *

It didn’t take Hinata long to find the 3rd gym and he was welcomed almost immediately. Shortly after his--and also Lev’s--arrival, Kuroo and Bokuto decided they should do a 3-on-3 match since there were enough players. Their match was cut short when the Fukurodani managers informed them that the cafeteria was closing soon and they should hurry to get something to eat. Kuroo and Bokuto sprinted out of the gym with Lev trailing after them. Akaashi was close behind holding both his and Bokuto’s belongings. Normally, Hinata would have ran with the others, but he stayed behind with Tsukishima. He’s aware that he’s not exactly buddy-buddy with the taller middle blocker, but he wanted to try and get to know him. With his friendship with Kageyama in shambles, Hinata was seeking friendship with other Karasuno players--even Tsukishima. Hinata waited for Tsukishima to finish grabbing his things and followed him out of the gym. They walked in silence for a while before Hinata decided to ask Tsukishima something that had been plaguing him since he found out about the 3rd gym. 

“Hey Tsukishima,” the only response Hinata got to confirm Tsukishima was listening was the slight hum of acknowledgment. “I heard Yamaguchi ask you to stay and practice with him yesterday but you said you weren’t interested. How come you practice with those guys instead of Yamaguchi?” At first, Hinata thought Tsukishima would ignore his question, but instead he got an answer.

“I wasn’t planning on practicing with them. In fact, when Kuroo and Bokuto asked me to practice with them I said no. But then Kuroo started pushing my buttons and I ended up joining.” 

“What made you come back today?” Tsukishima stopped walking which almost caused Hinata to crash into him. 

“I went back because of what he said the first night or practice.”

* * *

_ *Flashback* _

_ “If you take things too easy, Shorty will take all the glory away from you.” Kuroo taunted. _

_ There was a pregnant paused in the group before Tsukishima sheepishly grinned at the others saying, “I don’t think I can do anything about that. There is an obvious difference in potential between Hinata and myself.” Before the other three could say anything to Tsukishima, a group of Nekoma players came in and Tsukishima excused himself from the rest of their evening practice. _

_ *End Flashback* _

* * *

“I’m not sure why it bothered me so much that Kuroo said that. I’m very aware of the difference in talent between the two of us. I’ve been able to be on a volleyball team and participate in matches before coming to Karasuno. Add my height to the equation and there’s no questioning why I’m a good middle blocker. You, on the other hand, didn’t have a team in middle school and weren’t able to properly play volleyball.” Tsukishima turned to face Hinata, placed his hand on top of his head, and smirked. “Plus you’re a short volleyball player.” 

“Oi!” Hinata grumbled while swatting the hand away from his head. Tsukishima chuckled before continuing to talk.

“But despite your lack of experience, you’re still able to contribute a lot to the team. You’re the decoy and the team depends on you for that. I don’t really have anything special to contribute. I’m just a really tall player that has a slightly above average game sense. But even then my game sense isn’t that extraordinary. Nekoma’s setter has a far better game sense than I do. It’d be easy for the team to replace me.” Feeling awkward and a bit vulnerable, Tsukishima started to walk away from Hinata. 

“You’re wrong!” shouted Hinata. His words--and volume--startled Tsukishima causing him to stop walking. “You’re not easily replaceable, Tsukishima. Just because you’re not as good as Kenma when it comes to predicting the other teams moves doesn’t mean your game sense isn’t useful to Karasuno. And don’t say you’re ‘just a really tall player’ because that itself is an advantage--even if it’s expected in this sport.” Tsukishima stood in awe as Hinata listed off the reasons why he’s a valuable player. “Just because you don’t see your worth as a player doesn’t mean the rest of the team thinks that way.” 

Since he’s not the best at receiving any form of compliments, Tsukishima’s face flushes slightly at what Hinata had said. “God, do you just blurt out the first thing that comes to your mind?” Hinata grins at him and adds. 

“Besides, you have to at least love something about volleyball if you’re willing to stay even though you think you’re not a valuable player.” As much as Tsukishima wants to argue and say he finds volleyball annoying and troublesome, he can’t. Because he knows his love for volleyball is still there--even if he tries to hide it. 

Trying to save face, Tsukishima smirks and says, “For once I think you’re right. Wow, what’s next Tanaka-san and Noya-san being quiet for more than a minute?” 

“I might not be the person you’d want to hear this from, but I think you’re a great player and we’re lucky to have you on the team.” This time, Tsukishima didn’t get flustered from the compliment. Instead, he smiled softly and ruffled Hinata’s hair.

“Thanks. I know we don’t get along most days, but it’s reassuring to hear you say that.” Hinata thoroughly enjoys the feeling of Tsukishima ruffling his hair and is slightly disappointed when it is gone. “We better hurry before the cafeteria closes.” 

At the mention of the cafeteria, Hinata’s stomach grumbles. “Oh shit, you’re right! Let’s go!” Hinata yells as he grabs Tsukishima’s wrist and drags him to the cafeteria. 

* * *

While his talk with Suga helped him calm down, it also brought up some feelings that he didn’t know about--or at least refused to acknowledge. He likes Hinata. Shit. He feels like such an idiot for realizing this too late. He already rejected Hinata and even if Suga is right about him and Kenma just being friends, it doesn’t erase the fact that Hinata’s avoiding him and has probably already lost all romantic feelings towards him. 

As Kageyama is heading towards the cafeteria after being forced to leave the gyms, he spots Tsukishima and Hinata outside. There’s no reason for Kageyama to hide, but the second he saw the two he threw himself behind the nearest wall. Peering from behind the wall, he sees Tsukishima ruffle Hinata’s hair and the redhead grinning blissfully. Kageyama feels a slight pang of jealousy at the interaction and leaves before he sees anything else he doesn’t like. He makes it to the cafeteria right before they close and as he’s finishing getting his food he hears Hinata.

“Yes we made it!” with his tray in his hands, Kageyama turns to see the two middle blockers standing at the doorway of the cafeteria. He notices Hinata’s hand wrapped around Tsukishima’s wrist and another pang of jealousy hits him. Kageyama sits in a corner far away from the few players still in the cafeteria.

_ “It was bad enough when it was just Kozume-san, but now Tsukishima?! Seriously Hinata? Couldn’t it have been anyone else!?”  _ Kageyama thought. With Kenma, at least Kageyama didn’t have to see him and Hinata together all the time, but Tsukishima is on the team. And now that Kageyama has acknowledged his feelings, this is only going to make things worse. He hears Hinata’s lively laugh come from the other side of the cafeteria and looks up to see Hinata and Tsukishima talking with players from the other teams. With a dejected sigh, Kageyama grabs his tray, disposes of his trash, and leaves the cafeteria. On his way to the Karasuno room, Kageyama couldn’t help but think how much happier Hinata looks now. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again this is uploaded later than I originally intended. And since my summer class is starting Monday, my uploading schedule might be wonky. Hopefully I won't go too long without uploading but we'll see. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	9. Quietly Scheming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama glares, Tsukishima sighs, Kenma schemes, and Yamaguchi is just along for the ride.

The next morning, Kageyama was being extra grumpy. The interactions he witnessed between Hinata and Tsukishima were practically haunting him. Which, in his opinion, was stupid. He doesn’t understand why he’s so annoyed. It’s not like he saw them kiss--it was just a stupid pat on the head. But Hinata looked so happy when Tsukishima did that and it bothered Kageyama so much. And he hated himself for it. He kept thinking he’s an idiot and shouldn’t be jealous because he had the chance and basically threw it away without a second thought. He knows he could talk to Suga about this, but he wasn’t in the mood for another pep talk. So instead he decides to sulk about it. 

This doesn’t go unnoticed by the whole team and everyone made an effort not to disturb Kageyama. Noticing the icy glares directed at his best friend, Yamaguchi warns Tsukishima.Seeming unbothered by it, Tsukishima makes his way to the bathroom. As he was walking down the hall, he heard someone trailing behind him. At first he thought it was Yamaguchi behind him, but was proven wrong when he heard Kageyama call out to him. 

Annoyed, Tsukishima rolled his eyes and turned to face him. “What do you want, King?”. He sees a bit of hesitation in Kageyama’s eyes. He was about to walk away when Kageyama finally spoke up.

“What’s going on with you and Hinata?” he asked. This question threw Tsukishima off. Out of all the things Kageyama could have said, this wasn’t something Tsukishima expected. 

Curious as to where this conversation was heading, Tsukishima responded with a question of his own. “What makes you think there’s something going on between me and Hinata?” 

“I saw you guys together last night when I was going to the cafeteria.” Though he didn’t say more, Tsukishima knew exactly what he saw last night. Instead of telling Kageyama it was simply platonic skinship, he thought it’d be fun to mess with him.

Giving him a smug smile, Tsukishima said, “Whatever is going on between us is none of your concern, your highness.” And with that, Tsukishima walked away from Kageyama, leaving him even angrier than earlier.

* * *

After his conversation with Tsukishima, Kageyama couldn’t focus at all during practice. He managed to play it off as not getting a good night's rest, but he knew Coach Ukai didn’t believe him. To make matters worse, he kept seeing Tsukishima and Hinata near each other. Whenever Tsukishima noticed him looking their way, he’d find some excuse to touch Hinata just to piss him off. Suga caught on to what was happening and tried his best to calm Kageyama down each time. 

The only thing getting Kageyama through the day was the fact that they were going to have a barbecue later. And after what seemed like an eternity, it was finally time for the barbecue. In the midst of eating, Kageyama subconsciously searches for Hinata around the courtyard. His eyes finally spot the redhead and for once, he’s not next to Kenma. Instead, he’s standing by one of the grills talking to Lev. Content with that, Kageyama continues to shovel meat into his mouth.

In an isolated corner near the gym, Tsukishima sat on the steps leading to the gym talking quietly with Yamaguchi. Sitting near the two was Kenma who chose to play his game instead of eat. It was fairly quiet up until Kuroo and Daichi approached. Daichi tried convincing Tsukishima to eat more and Kuroo was forcing Kenma to eat instead of play games--even went as far as to steal the game and refuse to return it until Kenma ate. It took a while, but Daichi stopped pestering Tsukishima to eat more. 

Yamaguchi looked up and noticed Kageyama glaring in their direction. “Tsukki, did you do something to Kageyama? He’s been glaring at you non-stop since this morning.” he asked, now beginning to worry about Tsukishima’s safety. Afterall, Kageyama and Hinata had gotten physical during their most recent fight and Yamaguchi feared that would happen to his best friend. Looking unbothered, Tsukishima glanced over at Kageyama and scoffed. But before he could reply, a quiet voice chimed in.

“Actually, I think that is directed towards me.” The pair turned and saw Nekoma’s blond setter looking at them. To say they were shocked would be a bit of an understatement. They never really expected him to talk to them and they also didn’t expect him to say what he said. 

“What makes you think he’s glaring at you?” Tsukishima asked. Besides Hinata, he never saw Kenma interact with anyone outside his own teammates so he’s curious as to what caused this. 

“Yesterday while we were taking a break, I noticed Kageyama staring at Shoyo and decided to mess with him. I made it look like I was “flirting” with Shoyo and I’m pretty sure it pissed him off because the next thing I know, he’s stomping off into the woods.” 

At this point, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were confused. “Why would Kageyama get so angry at you for flirting with Hinata?” Kenma shrugged and replied,

“My guess, he finally realized his feelings for Shoyo. A bit too late if you ask me.” The two first-years were confused at what Kenma meant. Yamaguchi was hesitant to ask because he didn’t think it was any of his business, but Tsukishima was far too curious to care about that. 

“What do you mean by ‘too late’?” he asked. 

This didn’t surprise Kenma. Hinata had mentioned that he was trying to avoid bringing the team into this. “Shoyo likes Kageyama but was rejected about three weeks ago.”

The two first-years were surprised.“I guess that’s why they’ve been acting weird recently.” said Yamaguchi. Tsukishima hummed in agreement and added,

“That also explains why the king came up to me earlier and asked what was going on with me and Hinata.” This piqued Kenma’s interest. 

“Oh? What did  _ you  _ do?” Tsukishima smirked and said,

“Seems like he saw us last night when we were leaving the third gym. He didn’t specifically say what he saw that annoyed him, but I knew what he was referring to. It also doesn’t help that I may or may not have egged him on instead of telling him nothing happened.” While Yamaguchi squeaked “Tsukki!” at him, Tsukishima could see Kenma trying to hide his laughter. After his short laughing fit, a brilliant--devious really--idea popped into Kenma’s mind. 

“Well, this just got far more interesting.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I’m not saying it’s a good idea to meddle, but I think Kageyama just needs a little push to admit he has feelings for Shoyo.”

This certainly got Tsukishima’s attention. Normally, he finds meddling in other people’s business troublesome and tends to stay away from that kind of stuff. But an opportunity to piss off Kageyama was something he couldn’t help but want to participate in. “And what exactly is this ‘little push’?” he asked. 

“Okay so here’s my idea…”

* * *

The final day of the training camp came and went quickly and with little trouble. As Kageyama makes his way towards the bus, he spots Hinata and Kenma talking. Though he’d gotten used to seeing them together throughout the entire training camp, there was still a part of him that got annoyed whenever he saw it. Taking in a deep breath, he made his way onto the bus. Little did he know he was being watched.

“You remember what to say?” asked Tsukishima. Yamaguchi nodded and headed towards the bus while Tsukishima walked towards Kenma and Hinata. 

Once Yamaguchi got on the bus, he was relieved to see that Kageyama was sitting alone--making his role in Kenma’s plan a lot easier. He walked over to Kageyama and asked, “Hey Kageyama, can I sit with you?” 

Naturally, Kageyama was puzzled. “Don’t you normally sit with Tsukishima?”

“Yeah but he said he was going to sit next to Hinata. Something about Hinata wanting to know more about this band Tsukki and Kenma were talking about yesterday during dinner. So is it okay if I sit here?” Kageyama’s irritation grew and he angrily grumbled an okay for Yamaguchi to sit with him. As soon as he sat down, Yamaguchi pulled out his phone to tell Tsukishima that phase one of the bus plan was a success.

* * *

While Hinata was saying his goodbyes to Kenma, Tsukishima approached them. At first he thought Tsukishima was going to tell him to hurry up and get on the bus but was surprised when Tsukishima looked at Kenma and asked,

“Kozume-san, can you remind me of the band we were talking about yesterday? I wanted to listen to them on our way home” Kenma pulled out his phone and showed Tsukishima the name so he could put it in his phone.

“Wow I didn’t know you guys listened to the same kind of music!” Hinata said, surprised that the two were actually talking to each other. “I wanna listen to them too! They sound cool!” Tsukishima and Kenma both smirked; phase two of the bus plan was going smoothly.

Tsukishima pulled out his earbuds and said, “You can listen to it with me on the ride home.” Hinata got excited before realizing something.

“Wait, don’t you and Yamaguchi sit together?” Hinata pointed to where he last saw Yamaguchi standing and was surprised to see no one there. 

Noticing this, Tsukishima pointed at the bus. “Yamaguchi’s already on the bus. He said he wanted to sit in the aisle to stretch his legs out. And I refuse to give up my spot since my legs get cramped when I sit by the window. By the way, you’re sitting by the window. You’re small enough anyway.” Hinata squawked at that last part but was glad he wasn’t taking Yamaguchi’s spot. “Let’s get on the bus before Takeda-Sensei or Coach Ukai get back.” With one last goodbye to Kenma, Hinata and Tsukishima made their way to the bus. 

Most of the team was already on the bus so when Kageyama heard two pairs of footsteps, his mood soured even further because he knew who they were. He knew he’d feel jealous if he looked at them, but his body acted faster than his brain as he looked up from the window and saw Tsukishima and Hinata sitting together and sharing earbuds. Before he could look away, he made eye contact with Tsukishima and received a smug grin from the blond middle blocker. Clenching his fists tightly in his lap, Kageyama turned and harshly put his head against the window. A few of his teammates heard the thud it made were concerned but decided it was best to leave him alone. For the entire bus ride, Kageyama kept glancing over at the two and would always regret doing so because it would do nothing but upset him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took a while! I've been having a hard time writing and adding summer classes doesn't really help :( 
> 
> I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try to get it up within two weeks!


	10. The Sky's Green With Envy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first-year study together at Hinata's house. And then there's a cat.

A few days had passed since Karasuno returned from the training camp and Suga couldn’t help but notice how friendly Tsukishima has been towards Hinata since then. Before, Tsukishima would actively avoid talking to Hinata--unless it was to poke fun at him. But now they’re actually having normal conversations with each other. And most of the time, Tsukishima is the one who initiates the conversation. No one other than Yamaguchi knows that he’s only doing this to piss off Kageyama. Ever since Kenma told him what was going on between the freak duo, Tsukishima found a new way to get under Kageyama’s skin. When he notices Kageyama’s nearby, Tsukishima will make an effort to be very friendly towards Hinata.

On the brightside, Kageyama and Hinata have slowly started to get back on speaking terms outside of club activities. Instead of blatantly ignoring Kageyama’s efforts to talk to him, Hinata will engage in small talk--even if Kageyama sucks at small talk. This doesn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the team, but since it seems like a sensitive topic they don’t pester either of the two about it. It seems like things are finally starting to get back to normal for the team.

* * *

One afternoon before volleyball practice started, Hinata approached Yachi with a somber look on his face. Once in front of her, Hinata looked at her with wide eyes and asked, 

“Yachi are you busy tonight? I completely zoned out during my English class and I don’t know how to do anything on the homework.” Before she could answer, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi appeared--the former wearing his signature smirk.

“Wow, what’s new,” Tsukishima said, grinning wider as Hinata glared at him. 

Choosing to ignore his comment, Hinata looked back at Yachi. “Anyway, can you help me Yachi? Your notes always make it easier for me to understand things.” Normally, Yachi is more than happy to help Hinata with his studies. However… 

“I would love to, but I already promised Kageyama that I’d help him with his English homework tonight. But I can totally help you another time!” Yachi nervously plays with the ends of her hair as she waits for Hinata to respond. At first it looked like Hinata was going to brush it off and ask for help another day--that’s what the other three were expecting him to say. Instead, he shocked the three by saying,

“Since you’re already helping him with English it shouldn’t be a problem if I’m there too. We need help on the same subject. So, if it’s not too much trouble, can I tag along? I’m in big trouble if I can’t figure out how to complete this assignment.” At first, Yachi doesn’t know how to respond. Though she doesn’t know what happened between the two, she’s observant enough to realize that something isn’t right with them. Just the thought of having to sit in a room with only herself between the two of them was making her shudder in fear--she still hasn’t fully recovered from the shock of the two fighting in the gym that night. 

Sensing her distress, Tsukishima chimes in, “I can help you.” Suddenly three pairs of wide eyes are on him; surprised that he’s actually offering to help instead of being pestered into helping. However, instead of accepting immediately, Hinata was reluctant. 

“No way!” he whined. “You’re just going to bully me. Yachi is a lot nicer than you.” Tsukishima couldn’t even argue back because he knew Hinata was right. Out of ideas to bail Yachi out of this, he turned to Yamaguchi in hopes that he could come up with another idea. 

“I’ve got an idea, why don’t we all study together?” suggested Yamaguchi sheepishly. 

Tsukishima wasn’t too fond of having to spend extra time with Kageyama, but chose not to say anything after seeing how relieved Yachi looked when Yamaguchi suggested a group study session.

“That sounds like a good idea!” exclaimed Yachi. She turned to Hinata and said, “What do you think Hinata? ” He thought about it for a second before agreeing. “Then it’s settled! Where should we study?” Before any of them could make suggestions, Kageyama shows up.

“Hey Kageyama! There are some changes to our study plans tonight. Hinata also needs help with English so we decided the five of us should study together. The more the merrier right?” Though she tried to be cheerful about it, she was nervous about Kageyama’s reaction. And based on the look on his face, he wasn’t too fond of the situation. Noticing this, Tsukishima grinned and said,

“If the king doesn’t want to share his tutor that’s fine. I can easily tutor Hinata  _ by myself. _ ” Beside him, Yamaguchi was trying his hardest not to laugh since he knew Tsukishima was doing this to provoke Kageyama. And for the most part, it worked. Kageyama scowled and shook his head furiously. 

“No! It’s fine we can all study together” He exclaimed. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were struggling to contain their laughter since it’s very obvious to them how jealous Kageyama was. 

Unaware of what was going on with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, Hinata suggested they study at his house. Naturally, the group wasn’t fully on board with this idea. Especially Tsukishima. 

“Why your place?” he asked “It’s so far from the rest of us.”

Hinata sighed, “I know, but my parents are working late tonight and my neighbors are watching my little sister until I get home. I don’t want to inconvenience them by being gone for too long.” This managed to get everyone--minus Tsukishima--to agree with going over to Hinata’s house to study. It took a little more convincing--bribing--to get Tsukishima to finally agree. 

“Oh! You guys can also meet my new cat!” 

* * *

Once afternoon practice ended, the first-years quickly packed up and made the trip to Hinata’s house. Though it’s far from the school, Hinata’s endless chatter made the walk there seem short. Before they know it, they’ve arrived. After a quick stop to Hinata’s neighbors to pick up Natsu, the study session begins. 

“Okay Natsu, you go watch T.V in the living room. We’re going to be studying in the kitchen so if you need anything just come in okay?” Natsu nods and runs off into the next room. Hinata places some drinks and snacks for the group while they study and says,”Make yourselves comfortable. I'm gonna find my cat because it’s time to feed her.”

As Hinata left the kitchen, everyone started taking a seat at the table. First it was Kageyama followed by Yachi sitting next to him. Yamaguchi went to sit next to Yachi but was stopped by Tsukishima. 

“Yamaguchi, you should sit next to the king. It’d be easier for Yachi to tutor both him and Hinata if she were in the middle.” Tsukishima said. While Kageyama and Yachi didn’t think twice about Tsukishima’s request, Yamaguchi caught on almost immediately. Kageyama was confused as to why Yamaguchi was trying hard to contain his giggles. It was only after Tsukishima sat down that he realized the blond did this on purpose. Tsukishima made sure that the only seat left for Hinata to sit in was next to him. 

_ “Fuck,”  _ Kageyama thought.  _ “That asshole did this on purpose I just know it.”  _ He knew Tsukishima did this just to piss him off. But, there’s no logical argument he could give as to why Hinata couldn’t sit in that spot. And Tsukishima made a point with it being easier for Yachi to tutor them both this way. So, Kageyama just kept his mouth shut. A couple of minutes pass and Hinata returns announcing that his cat has been fed and might join them later. He plops down in the last empty spot and the first-years start studying. 

* * *

The study session started off strong; Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were quietly doing their own thing while Yachi was giving the other two an English lesson.  At one point while Yachi was preoccupied with working through a passage with Kageyama, Hinata asked

“Hey Yachi, do you mind explaining this to me? I don’t understand what it’s asking me to do.” Yachi didn’t even get a chance to answer before Tsukishima said,

“I can help. Yachi seems busy with the King.” Not questioning his sudden willingness to help, Hinata pushed his notes towards Tsukishima and the two quietly worked on the homework. Kageyama felt a tug of jealousy when he noticed how close the two were sitting. 

He didn’t even realize he was spacing out until Yachi’s voice reached his ears. “Does that make sense Kageyama?” she asked, pointing to the passage they were looking over. Sheepishly, Kageyama shook his head and forced himself to look only at his paper while Yachi started to explain once again.

* * *

Aside from an occasional grumble of confusion coming from either Hinata or Kageyama, it was quiet in the kitchen. And then they heard a soft meow. 

“Sora!” Shouted Hinata as he jumped from his seat and bounced over to the small calico cat standing a few inches from the table. Everyone stopped what they were doing as Hinata picked up the cat and brought him over to the table. “Everyone, meet my cat Sora!” Yachi and Yamaguchi immediately started cooing over the cat while Kageyama sat there mildly horrified.

_ “Are you kidding me?”  _ he thought.  _ “That’s the same damn cat that hissed at me a while ago.”  _ While Sora didn’t do more than hiss at him, Kageyama associates him with a bad memory since he encountered him shortly after rejecting Hinata--not his proudest moment now that he thinks about.  _ “Maybe this time the damn cat will let me pet him.”  _ Hesitantly, Kageyama reaches out towards Sora. Before he could even touch him, Sora angrily hissed in Kageyama’s direction. Irritated, Kageyama pulls his hand back and grunts. 

From across the table, Tsukishima snorted. “Wow, even cats don’t like you. Not that shocking though.” Kageyama was about to snap back at him when Sora moved from Hinata’s arms straight into Tsukishima’s lap. For a moment, no one moved or said anything. And then they heard it--Sora was purring. 

“Whoa, Sora rarely does that!” Hinata said in awe. At first Tsukishima wasn’t so fond of having the cat in his lap, but when he glanced at Kageyama and saw how annoyed he looked because of it, Tsukishima suddenly loved having Sora all over him. Hoping to add insult to injury, Tsukishima brought his hand up to Sora’s head and started scratching him. This caused Sora to purr even louder and nuzzle his head against his hand. Everyone--besides Kageyama--squealed in delight at the sight of Sora and Tsukishima. 

Having enough of this, Kageyama cleared his throat. “We should really be getting back to work if we want to finish this assignment tonight.” Groaning, Hinata slumps back into his seat. Though the attention is off Tsukishima, Kageyama can see that Sora is still on his lap and is making no effort to leave. 

_ “It’s fine. It’s just a stupid cat. Why am I even getting so annoyed about it?!”  _ Huffing, Kageyama tries to focus on what Yachi’s talking about. Despite telling himself it wasn’t something to get worked up about, he wasn’t able to shake off his irritation for the remainder of the study session. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry not uploading this sooner! I had a hard time writing this for some reason. That and the work load for my summer class is really piling up. The next chapter might be a while since the next couple of weeks are going to be me cramming in information for my exams. Again, thank you for your patience with me and hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	11. Leave the Rest up to Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A realistic dream and a conversation

Practice is over, the sun is setting, and Kageyama’s mind is racing. Today is the day he tells Hinata. He’s been going back and forth about this decision all day. His palms feel clammy and his heart feels like it’s going to burst out of his chest. 

_“Damn, is this what Hinata went through?”_ Kageyama thought. He reaches the school gates and sees Hinata leaving. 

“Oi, Hinata!” Yells Kageyama. Hinata stops and turns around; though part of him wished the redhead ignored him. 

Kageyama makes his way towards Hinata thinking, _“It’s now or never Tobio.”_ His nerves were getting to him causing him to freeze the second he stood in front of Hinata.

“Was there something you needed from me Kageyama? I’m kind of in a hurry.” asked Hinata. Taking in a deep breath, Kageyama prepared himself,

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I--” Before Kageyama could finish, a voice interrupted him.

“Shoyou!” yells an unfamiliar voice. Kageyama looks over Hinata and sees a shadowy figure in the distance waving their hand. Hinata’s face lights up the second he turns around.

“Ah! That’s my boyfriend!” Kageyama’s heart drops. “I have to go. Sorry Kageyama, you can tell me tomorrow!” Hinata doesn’t wait for a response before running towards the shadowy figure. Now Kageyama’s just left there at the school gates watching as Hinata gets farther and farther away from him. 

.

.

He’s too late.

.

.

And then he wakes up.

* * *

Kageyama’s eyes fly open. It takes him a minute to realize that it was a dream. He sits up and his chest feels heavy. 

“Get it together Tobio” he mumbles, slapping his face to snap himself out of his daze. “It was just a dream.” He stumbles out of bed and gets ready for the day. No matter what he did, that sour feeling he woke up with never left. While eating breakfast, Kageyama could tell his mom knew something was wrong 

“Tobio,” she started. “Is everything alright? You seem distracted.” she walked over to him and placed a hand on his forehead. “Well, you don’t seem to be running a fever. Is there something bothering you?” she asked, worry written all over her face. For a moment, Kageyama debated telling her about his dream, but decided against that. If he told her, he’d have to tell her everything and he wasn’t in the mood to do that. 

“I’m fine mom. Just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.” He knew his mom didn’t believe him one bit, but chose to drop the subject. 

Morning practice didn’t improve his mood either. In fact, his mood only worsened the second he saw Hinata--images from his dream flooding his brain. 

“ _Pull yourself together. There’s a practice match after school.”_ Even with that reminder, Kageyama’s mood never changed which negatively affected his performance during morning practice. He just couldn’t shake that feeling off. That dream felt too real. In fact, it might actually become real. Saeko had said Hinata should be open to the idea of moving on. At first, the thought of that didn’t sit well with Kageyama. But now the thought of Hinata moving on with someone else made him feel miserable. And guilty. He didn’t think he had the right to feel miserable. Sure, he now realized he has feelings for Hinata, but what if Hinata’s already over it. What if he no longer has those feelings and confessing to him would make their already rocky relationship even worse.

* * *

There was something wrong with Kageyama and it took all of Hinata’s willpower to not talk to him. Since “The Incident”, Kageyama had been more irritable. But today was different. He looked sad; almost miserable. Hinata tried to ignore it, but there was a voice in the back of his mind telling him to talk to Kageyama. For a while, Hinata had been doing well at ignoring the nagging voice; he made it almost a month without talking to him. But lately his resolve had been waning and seeing Kageyama like this was definitely not helping. Despite him telling Kageyama he would forget about his feelings, Hinata has been unsuccessful at doing so. His heart still flutters when his eyes meet Kageyama’s. Whenever he passes Kageyama’s classroom, Hinata would always subtly look for him. He gets butterflies in his stomach when he hears Kageyama talk during practice. All these little things made it almost impossible for Hinata to move on. 

During practice this morning Kageyama kept fumbling around; his tosses were off, his receives were sloppy, and he even took a ball to the face. When asked, he brushed it off and changed the subject.

_“He’ll be fine. He’s probably just tired. I’m sure he’ll be back to normal in time for our practice match this afternoon. He has to be.”_ he thought. And though he tried his best, Hinata couldn’t get Kageyama’s face out of his mind for the rest of the day. 

During lunch, Hinata texted Kenma about morning practice and how he’s been fighting the urge to talk to his former best friend

**[Kenma]: Don't do it. You said it yourself--you need space from him**

**[Hinata]: I know, but he looked so sad! Maybe something bad happened. He needs a friend!**

**[Kenma]: He had made it clear to you that he didn’t think you guys could go back to being friends**

**[Hinata]: Maybe he’s changed his mind!**

**[Kenma]: If he had, he would have done something to salvage your friendship by now**

**[Hinata]: He’s not exactly the type of guy to start that kind of stuff**

**[Kenma]: Remind me again why you like this guy**

**[Hinata] Kenma! I’m being serious here**

**[Kenma]: So am I. Don’t cave Shoyou**

The bell rang for lunch to end before Hinata could reply. Sighing, he put his phone in his bag and grabbed his stuff for class.

* * *

The school day came and went and the Karasuno Volleyball team was preparing the gym for their visitors. Hinata was getting the ball cart out when Kageyama arrived looking as miserable--if not more-- as he did during morning practice. Daichi walked over and asked if he was doing okay and all he got in response was a curt nod. Hinata tightened his grip on the ball cart as he watched Kageyama walk across the court to help Yachi set up chairs. It’s almost like Kageyama was walking around with a cloud above his head. 

Part of his brain was screaming to go talk to him, but the other part remembered what Kenma had said and willed him to stay strong. In the end, Hinata kept his distance and opted to avoid looking at Kageyama. This, of course, was easy up until the visiting team arrived and it was time for the practice match. Before the match started, Hinata was able to see Kageyama up close and his usual scowl was replaced with a pained expression. However, the match started before Hinata had the chance to say a word to Kageyama. To make matters worse, Kageyama wasn’t focused on the game at all. Like morning practice, he kept messing up his tosses which caused the rest of the team to struggle. 

Halfway through the first set, Coach Ukai decided Kageyama wasn’t in the best shape and called for a substitution. Hinata watched as Kageyama walked to the edge of the court with his head hanging low and switched places with Suga. Instead of going where the other players were, Coach Ukai had Kageyama sit down on the bench. Hinata was too far to hear anything, but he could tell Coach Ukai was trying to get information from the setter. What shocked him more is that Kageyama’s expression barely changed; it’s as if he didn’t even care that he’s being benched. 

In the end, Karasuno managed to take both sets--though the first set was very close between the two teams. Hinata had decided while cleaning the gym that he was going to finally talk to Kageyama. His curiosity got the best of him. Even if Kageyama fully ignored him, at least he made an attempt. 

Hinata practically flew out of the clubroom in an attempt to catch up with Kageyama since he was one of the first ones to leave after the team was dismissed. Sprinting to the school gates, he sees Kageyama about to turn the corner. 

“Kageyama!” he yells while sprinting over. Kageyama whips his head around at the sound of his name. Hinata was the last person Kageyama expected to chase after him today. Hinata reaches the gates and Kageyama freezes. Mildly out of breath, Hinata says, “We need to talk. Can we go to the park?” Kageyama doesn’t know what to say, so he nods and follows Hinata.

* * *

The walk to the park seemed like an eternity. The silence between the two was adding onto Kageyama’s nerves. They arrive at the park and sit at the lone swing set. Kageyama sits stiff like a board on the swing as Hinata gently kicks his feet back and forth on his swing. Aside from the squeaking of the swing’s chains, there’s more silence. Finding a small burst of confidence, Kageyama breaks the silence.

“So… you said we needed to talk? About what?” Hinata stops swinging and looks at him with a sheepish grin.

“Well… to be honest, I didn’t think I’d get this far… I kind of expected you to ignore me and walk away… So I hadn’t really thought this through.” Another moment of silence falls between the two as Kageyama tries to figure out what to say. Hinata beats him to it. “The main reason I brought you here was to ask if something was going on. I know it’s none of my business, but you’ve been off since this morning and didn’t even put up a fight when Coach Ukai benched you earlier. Is there something bothering you? You don’t have to tell me, but I was just concerned.” Kageyama sat there surprised. His heart did a little flip after hearing Hinata express his concern. He didn’t think Hinata would care much for him now; not after everything that’s been going on between them. 

Internally, Kageyama groaned. _“I can’t tell you because that would make things even messier between us. I’m already on thin ice here. Just being able to talk to you now is an improvement.”_ He was about to give Hinata the same answer he gave his mom that morning when a thought occurred to him. He was very sure about his feelings towards the redhead and the thought of his dream coming true filled him with dread. He was miserable without Hinata in his life and he didn’t know when another opportunity to talk to Hinata would come. Before he could talk himself out of it, Kageyama blurts out,

“I like you Hinata.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise it won't take me weeks to upload the next chapter! I'm already close to finishing it--though at the looks of it, it's gonna be a short one. And it's going to be the last chapter! I will upload it as soon as possible--most likely in the next couple of days.


	12. The Beginning of a Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama confesses, but how does Hinata react?

_. _

_. _

_. _

_ “I like you Hinata” _

_. _

_. _

_. _

The phrase plays over and over in Hinata’s head as he sits there looking at Kageyama as if he grew a second head. Meanwhile, Kageyama looked everywhere but Hinata as he fiddled with his fingers. Once again, the pair fell into an extremely uncomfortable silence. 

Like earlier, Kageyama broke the silence. “I understand you’re shocked, but please give me a chance to explain myself.” He pauses and finally looks at Hinata. The redhead is still staring at him with wide eyes and Kageyama took that as his cue to continue. 

“I know I said I wouldn’t be able to return your feelings. And at that moment, I really believed that we were only meant to be friends. But then we stopped being friends and I never wanted to stop being friends, but I didn’t know how to explain how I was feeling. To make matters worse, I felt irritated whenever I saw you hanging around Kozume-san. At first I thought it was because I was upset that he was replacing me as your best friend, but it was only after talking to both Oikawa-san and Suga that I finally realized the actual reason why I felt the way I did. But by that point, you looked so happy without me. Even Tsukishima had a better relationship with you than I did at that point. I figured I was too late in realizing my feelings and didn’t think I’d even get the chance to tell you at all.” 

As he finished his little speech, Kageyama could see Hinata’s face change from shocked to unreadable. Kageyama couldn’t decide if this was a good sign or not. The usually talkative and expressive Hinata was currently quiet with an expression Kageyama has never seen on him before. 

“Please say something. Anything?” 

Hinata opened his mouth but all that came out was, “I--” before he closed his mouth again. For once in his life, Hinata was absolutely speechless. 

Taking that as a bad sign, Kageyama began talking again. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same anymore. If you want nothing to do with me anymore, I understand and will do my best to keep myself away.” He stood and moved to grab his bag when Hinata bolted up and grabbed his wrist. 

“Wait!” He shouted. “I like you! Well, you already knew that huh. I meant, I still like you. I was never able to get rid of these feelings.” 

The two stare at each other in disbelief. And then it happened. It isn’t clear who moved first, but their faces slowly got closer and closer until their lips met. Their kiss was brief; the two breaking apart with a jump. Again, they stared at each other in disbelief before they dissolved into a fit of giggles. They laughed and laughed until their stomachs hurt and there were tears in their eyes. Despite their mutual feelings, there was still one more thing Kageyama needed to settle with Hinata.

“So…You like me and I like you.” Hinata looks at Kageyama with a wide grin.

“That’s right!” Kageyama returned Hinata’s enthusiasm with a soft smile. 

“Well then,” He started. “Hinata, will you be my boyfriend?” Kageyama didn’t think it was physically possible, but Hinata’s smile got wider as he answered.

“Of course you idiot!”

* * *

The duo stayed at the park well into the night. They both lied and told their families that they

stayed late for extra practice, but in reality neither of them wanted to leave just yet. They laid in the grass as Hinata went on and on about things that happened while they weren’t talking. He talked for a good ten minutes without stopping before he paused as he remembered his conversation with Kenma earlier that day. 

Hinata groaned and slapped his hands over his eyes. “Damn, Kenma is gonna be ticked off at me for caving and talking to you. He specifically told me earlier to not do that.” Kageyama looked over at Hinata confused.

“He told you not to cave and talk to me?” Another soft groan left Hinata’s lips as he nodded his head. “Why?”

“Kenma’s not exactly fond of you right now. He was the only one who knew I was going to confess to you. The second I got home that day, I called and cried to him about how it went. Since then he’s been helping me distract myself from you.” Hearing Hinata say all that caused a little part of Kageyama’s heart to break. 

_ “I caused all that,”  _ he thought to himself. The more he thought of it, the more Kageyama started to hate himself for taking so long to return Hinata’s feelings. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t hear Hinata calling out to him. 

“Tobio.” That definitely got his attention. Kageyama turned to him looking surprised. Hinata didn’t comment on the use of his first name and instead said, “I can tell you’re blaming yourself for something so stop it.” 

Kageyama didn’t know how to respond to that. While Hinata said to stop blaming himself, Kageyama couldn’t help but feel like he needed to apologize. He moved to take Hinata’s hand into his and laced their fingers together as he thought about what he was going to say. 

“I know you just said to stop blaming myself, but this needs to be said. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for the way I acted. I know I’m not great at expressing my emotions, but I should have handled this whole situation differently. I should have explained myself better when I said I didn’t think we could go back to the way we were.” he felt Hinata lightly squeeze their hands as he replied

“It’s okay Kageyama. Sure it didn’t feel great hearing you say it like that, but everything’s okay now!” Hearing Hinata say that felt like a weight was lifted off his chest. Trying to lighten the mood, Kageyama decided to tease his boyfriend. 

“Oh? What happened to calling me ‘Tobio’?” he asked with a smug grin on his face. He struggled to hold in his laughter as a pink tint spread across Hinata’s face. 

“Shut up!” he screeched, pulling his hand out of Kageyama’s to cover his face in embarrassment. “And wipe that grin off your face!” This only made Kageyama’s grin wider.

“Whatever you say,  _ Shoyou _ .” He watched as red spread all over Hinata’s face and ears and the redhead sputtered out nonsensical noises. 

They laid in the grass gazing at the stars content with this very moment between them and thought

_ “I’m glad it wasn’t too late for us.” _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of this story! I'm sorry if this ending seems rushed, but I didn't know how else to end it. I really hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for your kudos and comments I appreciate them all!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! Constructive criticism is welcomed!


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